Elastic fluid turbine



April 25, 1933- R. G. STANDERWICK 1,905,760

ELASTIC FLUID TURBINE Filed Nov. 26, 1932 I'n ventor: Regi nodd G. Sbomde'r'wick,

by His Attorney.

Patentecl Apr. 25, 1933 UNITED STATES Parser REGINALD G. STANDERWICK, F MARBLEI-IEAD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO OFFICE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATIQN OF NEW' YORK ELASTIC FLUID TURBINE I Application filed November 26, 1932. Serial No. 644,461.

mechanism embodyingthe invention.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates an elastic fluid turbine having an admission conduit 2 and an exhaust conduit 3 which may exhaust to a suitable condenser (not shown). In conduit 2 is a valve means 4: for regulating the flow of elastic fluid to the turbine.

Connected to turbine 1 at two intermediate points of different pressures are two conduits 5 and 6 through which elastic fluid may be 5 extracted from the turbine or admitted to the turbine. Conduit 5 is connected to the turbine at a point of higher pressure than is conduit 6. The flow of elastic fluid from the turbine stage to which conduit 5 is connected to the next lower stage is controlled by the valve means 7 and the flow of elastic fluid from the turbine stage to which conduit 6 is connected to the next lower turbine stage, is controlled by the valve means 8. The speed governor for the turbine is indicated at 9, being shown as driven from turbine shaft through beveled gears 11.

The turbine construction so far described 40 is shown diagrammatically, the several valves 4, 7 and 8 being shown in a simplified manner. It will be understood that valve means 4: represents any suitable high pressure valve mechanism and that valve means 7 and 8 rep- 5 resent any suitable type of intermediate valve means. Ordinarily, the intermediate valve 'means is of the ring valve type such as that shown in the patent to Norton, 1,091,078..

The elastic fluid turbine may drive any suitable load such as, for'exampleyan alternating current electric generator. The generatormay or may not be tied intoa system comprisingother alternating current generators.

My invention relates particularly tomeans for adjusting valve means 4:, 7 and 8 whereby the elastic fluid turbine may be regulated for changes in load and also to maintain substantially constant pressure in the two stages to which conduits 5 and 6 are connected.

, Speed governor 9 has a spindle 12 connected to a lever 13 having at one end a fixed ful-' crum 14. The other end'of lever 13 is connected by a link 15 to one end of a floating. lever 16. The other'end of floating lever 16 is'connected to the stem 17 of a pressure responsive device 18. Pressure responsive device 18 may be in the form of a corrugated bellows, a piston and cylinder, or the like. In the present instance, I have shown it more or less diagrammatically as comprising a casing provided with a flexible diaphragm 19 to which the lower end of stem 17-is connected. Associated with the diaphragm is a suitable adjusting spring 20. Pressure responsive device 18 is connected by a pipe 21 to conduit 5 so that the pressure responsive device is actuated in accordance with the pressure in the higher pressure turbine stage to which conduit 5 is connected.

Valve means 4 is connected by a stem 22 to one end of a lever 23 pivoted intermediate between its ends on link 15-as is indicated at 24. The other end of lever 23 is connected by a link 25 to one arm 26 ofa three arm lever, the other two arms being indicated at 27 and 28. The'three arm lever is pivotally supported on lever 16 as is indicated at 29. Arm 26 is connected by a stem 30 to valve means 8 and arm 27 is connected by a stem 31 to valve means Arm 28 is connected by a link 32 to duits 5 and 6, and that under the operating conditions obtaining, with'valvenmeans' l,

7 and 8 in thepositions shown,'sufi"1cientelas'- tic fluid is admitted to the turbine through valve means 4 to carry the load on the turbine and maintain a flow past valve means 7 and 8 such that the clcsii'edpi'essure obtains in the stages of the elastic fluid turbine to which conduits 5 and 6 are connected.

If the load increases, the turbine speed will decrease whereupon speed governor 9 will move theright hand end of lever 13 upward, the lever turning on its pivot 14. The upward'niovement of the right hand end or lever l31iftslink'15 which in turn raises the left hand endoif lever 23 and the left hand end Lot lever-16, lever 23 pivoting on link 25 andflever' l6 pivoting on stemlT. Upward movement: of th'e'left'h and en'doflever 23 ope s further valve means 4 and upward movement ofithe" left hand .ehd'of lever 16' lift-s bodily the threearm lever comprising arms 26, 27 and 28fand thus opens further, valve means 17' and '8. \Vheii the three arm lever'moves upward, link 32 pivots -on the one armetben eraiili lever 33. It will thus be seen that u'pon'an' increase inlo'a'd (i. e., a;

decrease in turbine speed) speed governor "9' op'erates'to 'open each of the valve means l, 7and 8". The opening of valve means 4 ad mits 'mo'r'e elastic fluid to the turbine and the ope ingofvalve means 7 and Spermits more elastic fluid to new from the stages to which conduits and 6 are connected to the neXt' lower stag'es,thus maintaining the pressures in 'su'eh stages substantially constant. In this connection, it will be understood that the sevei'al'lever' arms and the valve means are so correlated relatively to each otherthat the respective movements of 'the'valve means will besuch as'to effect the desired result. In case of increase in turbinespeed which maybe due to a decrease inlload, the speed governor 9 moves lever 13 in an oppositedirection, thus simultaneously moving the valve means 4:, 7 and 8 toward closed positions. I

Assumenow thatthe pressure in the higher pressure turbine stageto which conduit'5 is connected increases"whichv may be due for en aniple to adecrease in flow of elastic fluid througlrconduit 5 away from the turbine or an incr ease in low of elastic fluid through conduit 5 toward the turbine. When increased pressure in conduit 5 actuates the pressure responsive device 19, moving upward the right hand end of lever 16, the upward movement of the right hand end of lever 16 lifts the three arm levers 26, 27 and 28 vertically, thus opening furtherthe valve means 7 and 8. At the same time, this upward movement turns lever 23 on its pivot 24 moving valve means 4 toward closed position. The opening of valve means 7 and 8 functions to permit nore elastic fluid to flow through the turbine, the o pening of valve means T'being suflicient to effect the desired decrease in pressure inthe stage to which.

conduit 5 is connected, and'the opening of valve means 8 being sulficient to prevent an increasein the pressure in the stage to which conduit 6 is connected due to the increased flow to" it caused by the opening movement of valve means 7.. At the same time, the movement of'valve means 4" toward closed position serves to decrease'th'e amou'n'tjo'l elastic fluid admitted to the turbine, this ofi'setting the additional elastic fiuidnow' -.fio'wing through the lower pressure stages oftlie'tu'r-l bine and thus preventing an increas'e'in speed of the turbine. If the pressure in the stage to which conduit 5 is connected decreases; an

action similar to that just described'tak'e's" place except in the opposite sense, valve means 7 and 8 being" both moved toward closedlpositions andvalve means'a being moved toward open position."

In casethe' pressure in the stage to which conduit 6' is connectedincreases, pressure responsive device 35jis actuated to turrf'b'ell crank lever 33 in a counter-clockwise direction." This turns the three arm lev'encompris ing arins"26,,27 and 28 in a counter clockwi'se' direction, the lever pivoting o'i'rits ful'eruni' 29, moving valve means 7 toward, closed p0 sition and valve'means 8 toward operr' position. At the same time, through link'25 and lever 23,valve means 4 moved tbwartl le e'd position. Movement'ofvalve means Steward open position serves to permitmoreelastic' fiuid to flow from the stage to which" con duit 6 is connected to the low pressure portion of the turbine, thereby reducing thepres sure in thisstage' of the turbine; At the same'time, the movement" of high .p'ressiire valve means 4 toward closed position serves to decrease the amount o f elastic fi uid'being admitted to the turbine so as to compensate for the additional elastici fluid now fibwing j past valve" means 8, thus serving to'prev'ent increase in speed ofthe turbine, andmove ment of valve means 7 toward closed position serves tomaintain'constant the elasticifluid pressure in the turbine stage to which conduit 5 is connected. 1f the pressure in the turbine stage to which conduit 6 is connected decreases, the mechanism operates in asimi lar manner except 111' the opposite dlrections,

valve means 8 being moved toward closed position and valve means 4 and valve means 7 being moved toward open positions.

l/Vith the foregoing arrangement, it will be seen that I provide a governing mechanism for an elastic fluid turbine having conduits connected to two stages of diflerent pressures through which elastic fluid may be admitted to or extracted from the turbine which will function to regulate the turbine both in terms of load (i. e., speed) and in terms of stage pressures whereby the speed and the pressures in the two stages to which conduits 5 and 6 are connected will remain substantially constant. In the present instance, I have shown the speed governor 9 and the pressure responsive devices 19 and 35 connected directly to the valve means. It will be understood, however, that ordinarily they will be connected to the valve means through the intermediary of servo-motors. The servo-m0- tors have not been illustrated as their omission simplifies the drawing, making the prin ciple of my invention more readily comprehended.

In constructing the regulating mechanism, the several levers and connections are so proportioned that the rate of travel of the high pressure valve means 4 and the valve means 7 and 8 relatively to each other is such that when a variation in load occurs with constant pressures in the stages to which conduits 5 and 6 are connected, the several valve means are so operated that the quantity of elastic fluid going all the way through the turbine from the high pressure end to the exhaust end will be passed through the valve means 7 and 8 without disturbing the pressures existing in the stages to which conduits 5 and 6 are connected. This result is accomplished by properly proportioning the travel of the pressure responsive devices with respect to the valve areas of the several valve means 4, 7 and 8.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An elastic fluid turbine having valve means for controlling the admission of elastic fluid thereto, two conduits connected to the turbine at stages of lower pressure therein, valve means for regulating the flow of elastic fluid from said stages to the next lower stages, a three arm lever having two of its arms connected to said regulating valve means, a floating lever on which the three arm lever is pivoted, means responsive to the pressure in one of said stages connected to the floating lever, means responsive to the pressure in the other of said stages connected to the other arm of said three arm lever, a third lever connecting the three arm lever to said controlling valve means, a speed governor, nor to said third lever and to said floating lever.

and means connecting the speed gover- 2. The combination with an elastic fluid higher pressure stage and at a lower pressure stage forflow of elastic fluid to or from the turbine, valve means for controlling the flow of elastic fluid to the turbine, and a higher pressure stage valve means and a lower pres-' sure stage valve means for regulating the flow of elastic fluid from said stages to the next lower stages, of a speed governor, a pressure responsive device -connected to the stage of higher pressure, a pressure responsive device connected to the stage of lower pressure, and lever mechanism connecting the speed governor to said three valve means for moving them simultaneously in the same direction, connecting the first named pressure responsive device to said valve means to move the first named valve means in one direction and the other two valve means in the other direction, and connecting the second named pressure responsive device to said valve means to move the first named valve means and the second named valve means in one direction and the third named valve means in the other direction.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

REGINALD G. STANDERWICK. 

